BYD to launch range of Euro-focused models by 2029
BYD has confirmed it will release a line-up of models designed and developed in Europe for the European market over the next three years, beginning with the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Dolphin G.
When the Euro-focused Dolphin G is unveiled next month, it will act as an internal combustion- engined alternative to the electric-only BYD Dolphin Surf, making it the smallest PHEV for sale in the UK.
In July, the Dolphin G will make its UK debut as one of the several BYD models on display as part of the Chinese automotive giant’s massive Goodwood Festival of Speed takeover.
Why is BYD taking a Euro-focused approach to EV manufacturing?
BYD’s executive vice-president, Stella Li, is quoted to have previously said its pivot towards Euro-focused models aligns with the brand’s goal to have customers “think of BYD as a European brand”.
Speaking at the Financial Times’s ‘Future of the Car’ event in London on May 13, Li, elaborated further, by adding: “[The Dolphin G] is the first product we have designed for Europe, as there is no interest in China [for this type of car], and in the future there will be more and more products designed for European tastes and consumer needs and designed here.”
She continued: “We see the bigger gap now. In China the competition is making cars bigger and bigger and the chassis wider and wider; it has become crazy. This makes it impossible in Europe: you cannot have a bigger car running in Paris, in Milan, in Rome, in London. People [there] still prefer the smaller-sized cars.
“So then I saw a very clear roadmap. Now in certain ranges such as C- or B-segment we are going to split, so now we are going to have a European standard for B and C.
“Sometimes I have to tell the engineer: ‘Don’t make this car bigger, not for Europe. It needs to be smaller than 4.3m [long] not bigger.’ I see a very clear split now [between China and Europe].
“In the next three years, car design [for these models] will be much more for Europe. No longer [will] China cars [be] shipped to here to share with Europe.”
What do we know about the BYD Euro-focused line-up?
Li didn’t reveal any further details about the upcoming Euro-focused BYD models beyond the Dolphin G, but her comments implied that they will be built in Europe. This would suggest that production will take place at BYD’s new plant in Szeged, Hungary, scheduled to open later this year.
BYD has confirmed that Hungarian-built cars will include the all-electric Dolphin Surf and the Atto 2. It now looks likely that the rest of its Euro-focused models will be manufactured in Szeged.
BYD isn’t the only Asian manufacturer to adopt an ‘in Europe, for Europe’ approach as it seeks to increase its European market share. Last year, Kia began building its EV4 hatch at its AutoLand factory in Žilina, Slovakia.
The car’s handling was optimised by engineers from Kia’s sister brand, Hyundai, at the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre (HMETC) in Rüsselsheim, Germany, to give it a more “European” feel.
